Disney Wonder Restaurants

Want to know everything about the Disney Wonder restaurants? We have spent months cruising on the Disney Wonder. Want some great advice from someone who has spent many hours, and consumed many calories in the Disney Wonder restaurants?

Here is everything you always wanted to know about Disney Wonder dining.

What this means is that each night you dine at a different restaurant but that your wait staff move around with you so that you always have the same Head Server, Server and Assistant Server.

This concept works really well as you get to know your servers and they get to know your dining preferences so that they can make your dining experience even better.

The Disney Wonder restaurants are each very different. The three restaurants on the Disney Wonder are Animator’s Palate, Tiana’s Place and Triton’s

You will dine in each one at least once during your cruise – unless you are sailing on one of those very rare two night Disney cruises.

As soon as you check in and get your room key you will see some letters printed on it. This will show you your dining rotation. A is for Animator’s Palate, TI is for Tiana’s Place and TR is for Triton’s.

There are two Disney Wonder dining times. The first seating is at 5.45 and the second is at 8.15. Most Disney cruise line guests want the early dining. It is particularly popular as many people on the Disney cruises have young children. Not many toddlers want to start dinner time at 8.15!

You can choose your dining time on a Disney ship online with your Cruise Personalizer. However, it is likely that if you book late or don’t log in early enough, that first seating on the Disney Wonder will already be gone.

If that happens don’t despair. You can try and alter your Disney cruise dining assignment when you get on board. There will be Disney Wonder dining staff available (usually in the Promenade or Azure Lounge) to see if there is any room for you on first seating.

Disney Animator’s Palate

This is perhaps most guests favorite restaurant on the Disney Wonder. Animator’s Palate is on all of the Disney ships. It really set a new standard for innovative design at sea.

Disney Wonder Animator’s Palate is certainly a very different dining concept. The theme is of course animation. As soon as you approach the restaurant you will see that the emphasis is on bold design.

There are two different shows for Animator’s Palate on the Disney Wonder. One is the show where Mickey Mouse appears, and the other is where you very own animation will come to life.

You do not get the Turtle Talk with Crush show on the Disney Wonder. Apparently the technology for that was not possible for the Disney Wonder dry dock. The Turtle Talk shows only appear on the Disney Fantasy and the Dream.

When you arrive in the restaurant you will notice that almost everything is black and white. Even the corridor as you approach the restaurant is in bold black and white design with just one splash of color for the Animator’s Palate sign. The tables, chairs, walls, even the waiter’s outfits are in black and white.

Looks at the walls and you will see drawings of your favorite movies. Again, no color at the moment, but you will recognize many of the great Disney movies such as Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Toy Story. You will see many of your favorites here.

As the dinner progresses you will start to notice changes on the walls. Sudden flashes of color will appear and the pictures on the wall start to come to life. To animate of course. The pictures and the room becomes filled with color.

At some point after the entrees are served you may notice that your wait staff will be absent for a little while. The reason for this soon becomes clear. The music starts and Mickey arrives! His famous music from the Fantasmic! show plays and he dances around there room.

It’s difficult to explain, but the arrival of Mickey Mouse on a Disney cruise is always an emotional moment for me.

They certainly know how to put on a show in Disney Wonder Animator’s Palate and this makes it most guests favorite dining rotation. Be aware that if you are in the restaurant for 2 nights for dinner the show will only be shown on the first night of your rotation there.

For years Animator’s Palate was the outstanding Disney Wonder restaurant. However, Tiana’s Place is definitely giving it a run for it’s money since the Disney Wonder dry dock. Now it’s a really close call as to which is the best Disney Wonder cruise restaurant.

The food style In Animator’s Palate is described as Pacific Rim. To be honest I am not quite sure if that really works or if the food is consistent with that theme. However, the food is good and there is plenty of choice.

For our latest Disney Wonder cruise we particularly liked the Mushroom Risotto appetizer and the Ahi Tuna. The absolute must avoid is the Black Bean Chipotle Cakes. They have been on the menu for years and really need a rethink.

Disney Wonder Restaurant Tiana’s Place

Tiana’s Place is the newest restaurant on the Disney Wonder. It replaced the somewhat tired and never that great Disney Wonder restaurant, Parrot Cay. I admit I was sentimentally attached to Parrot Cay, but as soon as I saw Tiana’s Place this was soon forgotten.

Tiana’s Place is of course themed around the story of The Princess and The Frog. What better idea for a Disney Wonder restaurant than one that takes it’s inspiration from a Disney Princess who realizes here dream of opening her own restaurant.

The attention to detail in Tiana’s Place is of course Disney perfect. Even down to the menus which are an exact copy of the picture of the front of the menu from the Princess and the Frog movie. Take some time to really look at the small details. The china wear plates are beautiful, with a picture of Prince Naveen as a frog on their delicate design.

You will get the chance for plenty of quality time with Princess Tiana. She appears with The Crawfish Crooners to sing such favorites as “Dig a Little Deeper”. However, Tiana spends most of her time walking around the room and visiting every table just to check that all the Disney Wonder diner are having a great time. They most probably are.

The beautiful mural on the wall of Disney Wonder's Triton's Restaurant

Triton’s is the most elegantly designed Disney Wonder restaurant. It is located on Deck 3 mid ship and like all of the Wonder restaurants seats approximately 462 guests. Triton’s serves breakfast, lunch and dinner.

The beautiful statue of Ariel which stands outside the restaurant is one of the first things that you will see when you board the DIsney Wonder. She watches over the atrium and of course it is only fitting that she is outside the restaurant which is named after her father in The Little Mermaid.

The overall decor is the most subtle and elegant of the Disney Wonder restaurants. The design is reminiscent of a golden art deco age of ocean liners. Guests are meant to feel that they are in a beautiful ballroom with chandeliers and elegant decor. There is a huge mural depicting Ariel, Triton and Founder at the back of the room.

Whilst the atmosphere is elegant it also feels like it is the most crowded of the Disney Wonder restaurants. The tables can feel rather close together and sometimes the servers seem to have trouble working their way around the tight spaces. But Triton’s has the best food of all of the Disney Wonder rotational dining restaurants. The cuisine is described as American and French which of course covers quite a lot of ground!

The Triton’s menu definitely does have a French influence. On the appetizer menu you will find escargot, duck confit and French onion soup. Entrees include lamb shank, three cheese lobster macaroni, seared sea bass and beef tenderloin. The French influence can also be seen in the desserts which include creme brûlée, grand mariner soufflé and brioche and pannetone pudding.

Disney Wonder Palo

In additional to the 3 Disney Wonder rotational dining restaurants there is also Palo. This is an adult only dining experience. This is booked separately and has a cover charge of $30 per person for brunch and dinner.